The Big Build - Holmfirth

Overview

Ten years ago Richard and Jude Ford met while working for the police. They married and started a family and now have three sons.Richard was a keen athlete and coached his sons' football club, but in June 2012, two weeks after running the Edinburgh Marathon, he suffered a devastating brain stem stroke and he was put into an induced coma. For 9 months he suffered from locked-in syndrome, meaning he was aware of everything that was going on around him but could not move or communicate. He's no longer locked in but Richard has limited movement and speech and is confined to an electric wheelchair, communicating via an iPad. Since his return home, the family have had to convert the children's playroom into a bedroom for Richard. He has no choice but to use a commode chair to go to the toilet, sometimes in full sight of his family. Tragically, though his body no longer works, Richard's mind is unaffected, so he is fully aware of his situation. He has very little privacy or independence.